Common Yarrow
(Achillea millefolium L.)
Common names: Milfoil, Nosebleed, Soldier’s Herb, Woundwort, Bloodwort and Knight’s Milfoil.
Yarrow is a medicinal herb that would be difficult to be without; it is of great value for many illnesses but first and foremost, it is a herb for women. I cannot recommend Yarrow enough for women. Abbé Kneipp says in his writings: “Women could be spared many troubles, if they just took Yarrow tea from time to time!” Be it a young girl with irregular menstruation or an older woman during menopause or already past it, for everyone young and old, it is of importance to drink a cup of Yarrow tea from time to time. It is beneficial for the reproductive organs of women and they cannot do a better thing for their health than, while walking through the fields, pick some Yarrow. It grows in meadows and pastures, by roadsides and paths. The flowers are white or pink, have an aromatic smell and should be picked in bright sunshine, since the volatile oils and, therefore, their curative quality are greater.
It was said of a young woman that she had cancer in the abdomen. She received cobalt treatment. The relatives were told that there was no cure. I thought of the Abbé Kneipp and his advice for abdominal disorders and asked the woman to drink as much Yarrow tea as she could. I was surprised when after three weeks, I received a note saying she felt great and her weight was returning slowly but surely to normal.
For inflammation of the ovaries the first sitz bath will often relieve the pain and the inflammation will slowly subside. These sitz baths are also successful against bedwetting of children and older people, as well as “whites”. In these cases 2 cups of Yarrow tea should be drunk daily as well.
For prolapse of the uterus sitz baths are taken for a long time, 4 cups of Lady’s Mantle tea1 are sipped daily and the area of the abdomen from the vagina upward is rubbed with Shepherd’s Purse tincture.2
For fibroids Yarrow sitz baths are taken until a medical check-up shows no sign of them anymore.
A girl of nineteen had not yet menstruated. A gynaecologist prescribed the pill for her. Her breasts became quite large but there was no menstrual flow. She refused to continue with the pill. Her mother came to see me and I told her to give the girl a cup of Yarrow tea on an empty stomach every morning. After 4 weeks everything was in order and the girl has had no problems since.
A woman during menopause should take advantage of Yarrow tea and save herself a lot of inner restlessness and other problems. Yarrow sitz baths are also good for the health. For neuritis in arms and legs, foot and arm baths with an addition of Yarrow are soothing, but the Yarrow has to be picked in the midday sun. These baths often relieve the pain after the first use.
Dr. Lutze recommends Yarrow tea for “congestion in the head, accompanied by terrible pain, giddiness, nausea, running and weeping eyes, sharp pain in the eyes and nose bleeding...” Migraine, caused by weather changes, is often relieved after only one cup of Yarrow tea which has to be sipped fairly hot. If the tea is drunk regularly, migraine can disappear completely.
In old herbals Yarrow is called “cure of all ills” and can be used in cases that seem hopeless. Through its blood cleansing action many an illness is expelled from the body. It is worth a try. That Yarrow acts directly and best on the bone marrow and thus stimulates blood renewal, is not well known. Yarrow is therefore helpful for disorders of the bone marrow, even caries, where other medication is of no avail, if the tea is drunk, baths are taken and a friction with Yarrow tincture is used. Yarrow is an excellent remedy for stopping bleeding in the lungs and used together with Calamus roots heals lung cancer. The Calamus roots are chewed throughout the day and a cup of Yarrow tea is sipped every morning and evening. The tea is beneficial for bleeding haemorrhoids, stomach bleeding, indigestion and heartburn. For colds, back or rheumatic pain Yarrow tea is drunk as hot as possible and in large amounts. The tea activates sluggish kidneys, rectifies lack of appetite, dispels flatulence and stomach cramps, is beneficial for liver disorders, inflammation of the gastro-intestinal tract and regulates the movement of the bowels.
Since the Yarrow helps in circulatory disorders and vascular spasm, it is recommended for angina pectoris. − Sitz baths or washing with a decoction of Yarrow relieve troublesome itching in the vagina.
An ointment is prepared from Yarrow flowers and used for haemorrhoids.
DIRECTIONS
Infusion: ¼ litre of boiling water is poured over 1 heaped teaspoon of herbs, infused for a short time.
Tincture: Yarrow flowers, picked in the sun, are placed loosely into a bottle. 38% to 40% rye whisky or wodka is poured over them and the bottle is left in the sun or in a warm place for 14 days.
Yarrow ointment: 90 gm. unsalted butter or lard are heated, 15 gm. freshly picked, cut Yarrow flowers and 15 gm. finely cut Raspberry leaves are added, stirred till crackling occurs and removed from the heat. The next day it is slightly warmed, pressed through a piece of linen, poured into clear jars and stored in the refrigerator.
Sitz bath: 100 gm. Yarrow (the whole herb) are steeped in cold water overnight. The next day brought to the boil and added to the bath water (see General Information “sitz bath”).3
YARROW.4
1. Of this wort, which is named millefolium, and in our language yarrow, it is said that Achilles, the chieftain, should find (found) it ; and he with this same wort healed them who with iron were stricken and wounded. Also for that reason, it is named of some men, Achillea. With this wort it is said that he also should heal (healed) a man whose name was Telephos.5
2. For tooth ache, take a root of this wort, which we named millefoil, give it (to the patient) to eat fasting.
3. For wounds which are made with iron, take this same wort, pounded with grease ; lay it to the wounds ; it purgeth and healeth the wounds.
4. For a swelling, take this same wort millefoil, pounded into butter ; lay it to the swelling.
5. In case that any man with difficulty can pass water, take ooze of this same wort with vinegar, give it him to drink ; wondrously it healeth.6
6. If a wound on a man be chilled, take then the same wort millefoil, and rub it very small, and mingle it with butter, lay it then on the wound; it soon quickeneth and warmeth it.
7. If a man’s head burst, or a strange swelling appear on it, let him take roots of this same wort, and bind them on his neck ; that will come to be of good service to him.
8. Again for the same, take this same wort, work it to a dust ; apply it to the wound, then it will soon be heating.
9. If any man’s veins be hardened, or his meat will not digest, take juice of this same wort, then mingle wine and water and honey and the juice all together, then give it him warm to drink ; then it will soon be well with him.
10. Again, for ache of the bowels and of all the inwards, take this same wort, dry it then, and rub it to dust, very small ; then put up five spoons full of the dust, and three cups of good wine ; then give him that to drink. Then it is good for him for whatsoever annoyances he hath within.
11. If then, after that, there befall the man hiccuping, or any ratten-burn7 within (him), take then roots of this wort, pound them very well ; put them into good beer ; give it him then lukewarm to sup. Then I ween that it may be of good benefit to him either for hiccup or for any internal difficulty.
12. For head ache, take this same wort, work a plaster thereof, then lay it on the head ; then it soon removes the sore away.
13. Against the serpent kind, which are called φαλάγγια, tarantulas, take twigs of this same wort and the leaves, seethe them in wine ; then rub them very small, and lay them on the wound, if it be willing to unite ; and after that, take the wort and honey, mingle together, smear the wound therewith ; then it soon heateth.8
14. For bite of snake, if any man girdeth himself with this wort, and beareth it on the way with him, he is shielded from every serpent kind.
15. For tearing of mad dog, take this same wort, rub it and wheat grains ; lay them on the wound ; then it soon healeth.
16. For a rent by a snake, if the wound is swollen, take twigs of this same wort, seethe in water, rub them then very small ; when sodden, lay them on the wound. When the incision is open take the same wort unsodden, rub very small, mingle with honey, then dress the wound therewith ; then it will he soon whole.9
YARROW, CALLED NOSE-BLEED, MILFOIL AND THOUSAND-LEAF.
Descript.] It hath many long leaves spread upon the ground, finely cut, and divided into many small parts. It flowers are white, but not all of a whiteness, and stayed in knots, upon divers green stalks which rise from among the leaves.
Place.] It is frequent in all pastures.
Time.] It flowers late, even in the latter end of August.
Government and virtues.] It is under the influence of Venus. An ointment of them cures wounds, and is most fit for such as have inflammations, it being an herb of Dame Venus; it stops the terms in women, being boiled in white wine, and the decoction drank; as also the bloody flux; the ointment of it is not only good for green wounds, but also for ulcers and fistulas, especially such as abound with moisture. It stays the shedding of hair, the head being bathed with the decoction of it; inwardly taken it helps the retentive faculty of the stomach: it helps the gonorrhoea in men, and the whites in women, and helps such as cannot hold their water; and the leaves chewed in the mouth eases the tooth-ache, and these virtues being put together, shew the herb to be drying and binding. Achilles is supposed to be the first that left the virtues of this herb to posterity, having learned them of this master Chiron, the Centaur; and certainly a very profitable herb it is in cramps, and therefore called Militaris.10
► Ukrainian sources on this subject | ► Muscovite sources on this subject |
Footnotes:
1 Lady’s Mantle infusion: ¼ litre of boiling water is poured over a heaped teaspoon of herbs, infused for a short time.
2 Shepherd’s Purse tincture: Freshly picked Shepherd’s Purse, the leaves, stems, flowers and seed pods are finely cut and placed loosely into a bottle to the neck, 38% to 40% rye whisky is poured over it (the herbs have to be covered) and left in the sun or in a warm place for 10 days.
▲ HERB BATHS
Full Bath: The appropriate herbs are steeped overnight in cold water. One bucketful (6 to 8 litres) of fresh herbs or 200 gm. of dried herbs is needed for a bath. This is heated and strained the next morning and poured into the bath water. Soak in it for 20 minutes. The heart must be above the water. After the bath do not dry off but wrap yourself in a bath towel or robe, go to bed and lie there for one hour perspiring.
Sitz Bath: For a sitz bath take only half a bucketful of fresh herbs or approx. 100 gm. of dried herbs and proceed as for a full bath. The bath water must cover the kidney region. Observe the instructions for the particular herbs.
The water from the full bath as well from the sitz bath can be re-warmed and used twice more.
3 This text is a chapter from “Health through God's Pharmacy” by Maria Treben (Ennsthaler Publishing, Steyr, 2003).
4 The drawing in MS. V., fol. 42 a, intends yarrow.
5 Hyginus, fab. ci., and the poets.
6 The rest of yarrows leechdoms are not in the printed Latin, 1528, nor in MS. A., nor G. T.
7 Ratten is pus, matter, in Devonshire : understand purulent inflammation.
8 All the MS S. hatað ; but halað would be better.
9 Herbarium Apuleii Platonici, Chap. 90 (T. O. Cockayne. Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England. Vol. 1. London, 1864).
10 This text is a chapter from “The Complete Herbal” by Nicholas Culpeper (Thomas Kelly, 17 Paternoster Row, London, 1835).
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